Why a Community Association?
		POGA
		Community Associations (such as POGA) have the potential to be on the front lines of important social, cultural, environmental and community issues. They can respond in many ways to the needs of their residents; fostering and supporting them to fully and actively engage in community and civic life. This happens through the provision of social, recreation and sports programs, through neighbourhood improvement initiatives, and through direct input into planning and traffic issues, and other public affairs. Community Associations have the potential to mobilize citizens and local resources to make a vital contribution to community life – enriching the quality of life and well-being of their communities. Overall, Community Associations can provide a shared sense of citizenship and inclusion.

Community Associations are usually registered societies (like POGA) that have a general mission to improve neighbourhood life within a specific geographic region. They can take on many forms: Some cover large regions and multiple neighbourhoods while others can be small. Some have facilities and paid staff and some have none. What they all have in common is that they are volunteer run and share a common mandate to provide programs, services and communications to their residents that will improve the quality of life.

POGA will strive to;

• Develop and enhance community pride and spirit through hosting special events.
• Undertake neighbourhood improvement initiatives such as spring clean-ups, tree planting, playground development and more.
• Provide information to residents through a web presence and act as a unified voice on issues affecting the community.
• Provide input into the planning and development process and foster good planning practices.

Without a formal structure many of the benefits of community associations cannot be realized. As a registered society, we are able to engage in fundraising events through gaming (if we choose to) and are also eligible to apply for some government grants to help support programs or build amenities.

Residents' vs. Community Associations

Residents' associations are somewhat similar to condominium associations. They are established by the developer in order to maintain jointly owned amenities that are part of the initial marketing of the community. POGA is not a Residents Association, it is a Community Association. Community associations are volunteer organizations with voluntary membership that can include any person in a neighbourhood. They are run by volunteer boards and are intended to meet the needs of their members. These needs help define the types of programs and services that community associations offer.